Structural features and functional implications of proteins enabling the robustness of Deinococcus radiodurans

Deinococcus radiodurans can survive under extreme conditions, including high doses of DNA damaging agents and ionizing radiation, desiccation, and oxidative stress. Both the efficient cellular DNA repair machinery and antioxidation systems contribute to the extreme resistance of this bacterium, making it an ideal organism for studying the cellular mechanisms of environmental adaptation. The number of stress-related proteins identified in this bacterium has mushroomed in the past two decades. The newly identified proteins reveal both commonalities and diversity of structure, mechanism, and function, which impact a wide range of cellular functions. Here, we review the unique and general structural features of these proteins and discuss how these studies improve our understanding of the environmental stress adaptation mechanisms of D. radiodurans.